On Wednesday, 3 March 2021, Pinterest hosted the Pinterest Presents Global Advertiser Summit, unveiling new advertising features, trends and more. The main theme of the 90-minute session was the visual-platform’s plans to build a positive space for users and businesses alike with the aid of video-based features.
Eager listeners were rewarded with the unveiling of Pinterest’s three new or updated features, Story Pins, Pinterest Predicts and Pinterest Premiere. Guest celebrities Chrissy Teigen, Dan Levy and Turia Pitt also spoke during the live presentation.
For those who couldn’t tune in, you’ll find everything you need to know in our Pinterest Presents Recap.
Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash.
Recap of the Pinterest Presents Live Session
There was a lot happening in the 90-minute Pinterest Presents live session, with insights into Pinterest’s future and celebrities’ take on why they use Pinterest and what it means to them.
Besides detailed visuals and explanations revolving around Pinterest’s future, watchers also heard from industry experts, including Pinterest’s CEO and marketing executives, along with guest celebs Chrissy Teigen, Dan Levy and local name, Turia Pitt.
While Pinterest experts explained new features and data behind their creation, guest celebs enforced the positive impact the platform has, differentiating it from other “toxic” social media platforms.
“Pinterest may be the last positive corner of the internet,”
Evan Sharp, Pinterest Co-Founder.
The messaging behind each speaker was reiterating the fact Pinterest has a positive relationship with its users, being an inspiring, not draining platform. This means if businesses can be adaptive and fit themselves into this positive space, they can better their positioning and relationship with consumers.
More than 70% of Pinners use the platform for purchase inspiration, which is another one of the many reasons why businesses should consider incorporating Pinterest into their advertising campaigns.
With more than 450 million monthly active users coming to the platform to find inspiration, Pinterest believes brands have a vital impact when it comes to building this positive space. While Pinterest has always been dominated by female users, which currently make up 65% of the platform’s audience. However, they have recently seen a booming increase of Gen Z and male users, which have increased nearly 50% in the past 12 months.
Pinterest & Industry Leaders Discuss the Importance of Intent
Industry Leader Megan Brownlow Spoke About Self-Actualisation for Branding During Pinterest Presents
Megan Brownlow discussed the importance of self-actualisation for branding and gave examples of brands who changed for the better of the people. She claimed those who embraced challenges during the pandemic were able to better align themselves with conscious commerce and positive outcomes.
For example, Dyson developed ventilators to help those fighting COVID-19, which shows the business cares about people, genuinely proving the business has a purpose beyond just creating really good vacuums.
Megan Brownlow used this example among others to details how brands which have a greater purpose other than making money will be recognised and embraced by consumers.
Furthermore, she related this to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and how positive role models leading with self-actualisation can help encourage a well-functioning society, benefiting all its individuals.
Pinterest Founder & CEO, Ben Silbermann Explains Why Businesses Should Have a Presence on Pinterest
Pinterest Founder and CEO Ben Silbermann explained businesses should use Pinterest to, “Build your business where your audience plans theirs.” He also spoke about how Pinterest is not the place to watch news and how Pinterest actually banned news content and political topics way ahead of the curve — before it even got the chance to become an issue.
Celebrities Discuss Pinterest Positivity
Dan Levy on Pinterest.
Actor Dan Levy said during Pinterest Presents he believes advertisers will get the most out of the platform if they “…go with something that means something.”
He explained he believes Schitt’s Creek, the show he co-created and stars in, saw rapid success as a result of purity of vision and honesty of intent. If brands are consistent with honest messaging to better their consumer’s lives, they have a better chance of welcoming success by building a community rather than an audience.
Chrissy Teigen on Pinterest.
The next big star to grace Pinterest Presents was Chrissy Teigen, who spoke about the importance of mental health and how large platforms can have both positive and negative impacts on its users. Pinterest claims 56% of consumers say they’re more likely to buy from a brand in a positive place and Chrissy added on, saying, “It pays to be positive.”
Video was a main theme for Pinterest’s advertising future and with average internet users spending 88% more time on a website that has videos, it was definitely the right move.
New Pinterest Features for Advertisers
The most anticipated part of Pinterest Presents was the reveal of three new or updated features.
Story Pins.
Story Pins was the first new Pinterest advertising feature to be announced during Pinterest Presents. While Pins will function similarly to other platforms with stories, there are a few key differences.
With an increase of video usage and platforms like TikTok and features like Instagram’s Reels, Pinterest is taking the plunge into video-content features. Even better, businesses can advertise on Pinterest by using sponsored Story Pins to better reach their target audience.
Pinterest’s Story Pins will appear in results on Pinterest and users can watch a story or slide-show like story. For example, if a Pinner (Pinterest user) is looking for a recipe for carrot cake, story pins may show up showing step-by-step videos of how to make a carrot cake.
Story Pins are already available to use.
How businesses can use Story Pins on Pinterest:
- Re-purpose posts for another opportunity to reach your audience.
- Like Instagram, people who regularly watch your pins may see your other content on Pinterest more regularly.
- Reach new audiences who prefer videos over static images.
- Create on-trend videos related to your business.
Pinterest Predicts.
Pinterest Predicts was the next feature discussed, which will help businesses see future trends. The Pinterest Predicts site states, “Before you see it everywhere, see it here,” and provides visuals of predicted trends.
Unlike the other two new features, Pinterest Predicts has been out for some time. Launched in 2020, Pinterest Predicts’ trends are organised by category so businesses can find relevant information on trends related to their values and image.
Pinterest also claims 8 out of 10 of their 2020 predictions came true, giving them more confidence in this feature.
This can help give businesses a head start for upcoming trends, giving them time to plan campaigns to launch on time with relevant trends, or just give insight into what their audience may be looking for.
How businesses can use Pinterest Predicts:
- See predictions for the coming year and where you business could target a campaign.
- Know what people will be interested in for the coming year, and how your business could adapt to suit.
- Organise your content calendar based on how your business can add value to these areas.
Pinterest Premiere.
Possibly the most exciting feature revealed in Pinterest Presents, Pinterest Premiere is set to change the platform’s advertising abilities. Pinterest Premiere is the inspiration platform’s new video solution, allowing advertisers to better capture their audience.
With video content booming, Pinterest Premiere will help businesses get the most out of their video ads, allowing businesses to enjoy the exclusive video placement and additional planning and measurement tools, which will offer actionable insights. Pinterest Trends and Conversion Insights will also boost advertiser’s abilities in the Pinterest advertising space, giving them the best opportunity to reach their customers.
Pinterest will be revealing more information on Pinterest Pins and Pinterest Premiere in coming months.
How businesses can use Pinterest Premiere:
- Create engaging video ads and optimise them using planning, measurement and action tools.
- Use and track Pinterest Trends for content inspiration.
- Analyse conversion insights to adjust or change campaigns.
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